Four times the New England Patriots have marched into Denver during the AFC playoffs. Four times, most recently in Sunday’s 20-18 defeat in the AFC Championship game, their Super Bowl dreams were snuffed out by the Orange Crush. With eye black residue from Sunday’s game likely still visible on Tom Brady’s face, we revisit the three times prior to Sunday’s defeat that the Patriots’ Super Bowl aspirations tumbled in Denver like boulders down the Rocky Mountains.

The Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers meet for the eighth time in the NFL postseason this Sunday. In five of the previous seven playoff battles, the winner moved on to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl, and on three occasions, the winner claimed the Lombardi Trophy. In preparation for Sunday’s divisional round matchup, we will revisit four of their clashes today followed by three more later this week.

He was the last link to a Chicago Bears’ Super Bowl team. His 11-year stint with the Bears was defined by numerous clutch field goals and a rewriting of the team’s record book. But his smooth ride suddenly hit a pothole on Lake Shore Drive, leading to a slew of devastating botched field goal attempts.

He became too pricey in the salary cap era and was controversially jettisoned by the Bears.

The Chicago Bears (4-5) and Denver Broncos (7-2) square off this Sunday, the Bears buoyed by two consecutive road wins and the Broncos having lost two straight games and facing the prospect of being without QB Peyton Manning for an extended period of time if not for the rest of the season.

Monday might, the Chicago Bears and San Diego Chargers will meet for the 12th time during the regular season. To try to ratchet up the excitement for a game between teams with a combined record of 4-11, we will highlight six memorable clashes, starting with three today, between the two clubs and also discuss some quixotic coincidences that link the two franchises.

With the Cubs vying for their first World Series berth since 1945, the National League Championship Series will pit the Cubs’ cast of young sluggers Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Jorge Soler and Kyle Schwarber against the Mets’ stable of young pitchers Matt Harvey, Steven Matz, Noah Syndergaard and Jacob DeGrom.

While these clubs have been in different divisions since the 1994 season, they spent 25 seasons (1969-1993) as rivals of the original National League East. And many of the Mets’ and Cubs’ greatest triumphs and most painful defeats are as intertwined as strikes and balls.

Today, we add some spice to the NLCS stew by revisiting the rivalry’s five most memorable seasons.